Blaze the Cat
Blaze the Cat (ブレイズ・ザ・キャット Bureizu za Kyatto?) is a fictional character from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. She is an anthropomorphic, fourteen-year-old, lavender cat and is a princess hailing from an alternate dimension, where she is both the regent of her world and the appointed guardian of the Sol Emeralds, a role similar to that of Sonic and Knuckles combined. She is gifted with the power of pyrokinesis, which lets her create and manipulate fire in any way she pleases. Blaze is normally calm, elegant and level-headed, but tends to conceal her true feelings. Devoted to her position, she sometimes gets herself bogged down by her own self-imposed strict discipline, which made her anti-social, withdrawn, and initially unfamiliar to the concept of having friends. After spending time with Sonic, however, Blaze was able to discover the true meaning of friendship, allowing her to accomplish tasks for the good of her people and the innocent which she could never do alone. Concept and Creation Blaze was designed as a character who was equivalent yet an alternate version of Sonic's character. An undated concept of Blaze which was very similar to her final design except her eyes were rounder and her ponytail was turned front instead of back, she was supposed to wear clothing similar to the Arabs, since she was wearing a shalwar and a mid-riff top. According to the early character spread sheet files of Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) it is mentioned that Blaze wears a cape to hide her flames because she was teased. However this "cape" concept has not been shown clearly in games whether her purple outfit is the cape. This was later clarified by the concept artwork gallery in the Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Generations where one of the pictures showed Blaze wearing a white and pink laced cape. One of the Sonic Channel 2013 2-D images shows her wearing a purple cape. An ex-member of SEGA on Sonic Wrecks released concept art of Blaze which was said to be done in early 2005 in PowerPoint documents. Her design was very similar to that of Shadow's however it is possible the character was in a mere silhouette form. Personality Blaze is normally calm, solemn and level-headed, but tends to conceal her true feelings. She is often described as elegant, which is demonstrated through her body movements and her ballerina-like fighting style. Being royalty, Blaze is quite mannerly and typically maintains a relatively quiet, stoic and formal air among others. She tends to have body language less casual than most others, such as in Sonic Generations where she stands straight and tight rather than relaxed like the rest of the cast. She also usually speaks in a polite and lady-like tone. Despite being honored of her royalty though, Blaze is down-to-Earth and dislikes being called by her title. While Blaze gives the impression that she keeps her emotions in check, she is inwardly highly emotional and possesses a fiery temper, and when she loses her composure she is quite frightening, aggressive, harsh and prone to bad decisions. She is very serious and devoted to her position as princess and guardian of theSol Emeralds, even initially suspecting anyone even looking at the Emeralds the wrong way, which is motivated by her own genuine concern for others' safety. She is usually highly disciplined and focused, never allowing herself to not lose focus, and can be quite stubborn and impatient once she has put her mind to something. When dealing with enemies, she never holds back her strength and is not above the idea of using lethal force. Because of her own self-imposed strict discipline though, she is often tense and frequently suffers from great self-pressure. Initially, Blaze held a personal dislike of her pyrokinesis because it left her to bear her responsibilities alone, which made her see her flames as a curse. She later learns to accept her powers from Sonic's advice and came to see them as a blessing. Because of her past and her devotion to her duty, Blaze developed a habit of doing her tasks alone which led her to build up walls between her and other people, making her anti-social, withdrawn and introverted. As a result, she ended up building up her own secret feelings, leaving her with an inner turmoil. She therefore lacks in social skills, finds it hard to open up and talk to people, and comes off as shy. She would also be wary and curt towards strangers and frequently reject offers to help, even become defensive and angry when help was offered. This attitude also made her somewhat selfish as she berate Sonic despite him offering help and eventually ended up fighting him. After interacting with Sonic, Cream and their friends, Blaze developed much more socially, making her more amiable, friendly and gentle towards others. She also came to understand the true meaning of friendship, making her willing to trust and accept help from others. While she still prefers handling things on her own and remains somewhat reclusive, she will accept her friends' help and is genuine grateful for their aid. At the time of Sonic Generations, she is seemingly much more sociable, participating in a party simply for the sake of friendship and is much quicker to open up and relax in front of her friends. Blaze is very honest and almost blunt when dealing with annoyances such as Marine, even outright telling her that she is a nuisance. She also had a tendency of judging others poorly in Sonic Rush, making her somewhat overconfident and arrogant. Blaze suffers from acrophobia and just the sight of heights makes her terrified, nervous and uncomfortable as seen in Sky Babylon. However, she is not much for admitting her fear and will try to hide it. Quotes * "You can't escape me!" - Blaze when beginning a level in Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure. * "How's that?"- Blaze after completing a level in Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure. * "It seems you like to play with fire. Let me light up your fingers then." - When Blaze has her first encounter with Dr. Eggman in Sonic Rush. * "Give me back... the Sol Emeralds!" - Blaze in a cutscene after defeating Eggman in Sonic Rush. * "Never get on my bad side!" - Blaze after winning a boss battle in Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure. * "Incredible! How could she just let me in? ''- Blaze surprised by Cream letting her inside her house after they just met. * ''"Having a bunny guide is okay, I suppose." - Blaze, when Vanilla and Blaze accept Cream to guide Blaze. * "My enemies always fall before me!" - Blaze after beating the second to last boss in Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure. * "What do you know? I am the Guardian of the Sol Emeralds. It is a duty that forces me to live with my curse... my flames... Because of my powers I have always been alone! Which is why I must do this alone! I have to do this myself!" - When she's fighting Sonic in Sonic Rush. * "M-my name is Blaze the Cat... it's nice to meet you!" - After Blaze introduces herself to Sonic. * "Don't mention it! W-we're... (...) ... Yes. We're friends!" - Blaze after saving Cream who proclaims their friendship in Sonic Rush. * "The Iblis Trigger...A blue hedgehog... Can it be true?... I need to find Silver fast!" - Blaze when starting the mission in Wave Ocean Act 1 in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). * "We agreed to save the world - at any price!" - Blaze talking to Silver before sacrificing herself in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). * "You're still so naive, but I... I've always liked that about you." - Blaze talking to Silver before sacrificing herself in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). * "Uh Sonic...maybe we should back away from the edge here so, huh?... We can...uh! y'know..." - Blaze talking to Sonic after trying to hide her fear of heights in Sky Babylon. * "Marine, listen! Since you don't seem to understand where I'm getting at I'll just tell you....you're a nuisance!" - Blaze telling Marine of her obnoxiousness when she refuses to go back to Windmill Village. * "Haven't I told you not to call me that?" - Blaze talking to Gardon about calling her "Your Highness". * "I... MUST... STOP HIM!" - Blaze letting her temper get the best of her at the Deep Core. * "Yes... That is my duty as princess. My duty... and honor!" - Blaze, after Sonic tells her to keep a level head for the sake of her people. * "Sonic... what kind of a person is he?" - Blaze asking Cream after she had a brief meeting with Sonic. * "Sonic... Do you think that maybe you were brought here for a reason?" - Blaze thinking that her and Sonic's meeting in Sonic Rush Adventure was not an accident. * "Fear the power of the flames!" - Blaze before a race starts in Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity. * "The power of the flame..." - After getting a power-up in Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity. * "You'll never be a match for me!" - After getting in the top 3 in Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity. * "I wish I hadn't need your help Sonic, but thank you. By the way, you seem to look less... spiky!" - Blaze after Classic Sonic rescues her at Crisis City in Sonic Generations. * "Sonic, I hope we can keep this slip-up of mine just been the two of us. All right?" - Blaze to Classic Sonic after he rescues her. * "As much as I dislike relying on others, I'm grateful for your aid. The creature was beyond my skills." - Blaze after Modern Sonic rescues her at Crisis City in Sonic Generations. * "Don't give in Sonic!"-'' Blaze cheering on the Sonics to fight in ''Sonic Generations. * "I'll put out that wall of fire!" - ''Blaze before the Crisis City mission with Modern Sonic begins. * ''"A Red Star Ring? We have something like that back in my world, as well." - Blaze to Classic Sonic after he collects a Red Star ring. * "You got an S Rank? I can't help but think of our old adventures together." - Blaze if Sonic talks to her after getting an S Rank in Crisis City. * "Your spines getting shorter is one thing, but turning pink? What did you eat, Sonic?" Blaze to Classic Sonic after the mission Chase after Blaze. Trivia * Despite having the title of princess, Blaze is sometimes referred to as a queen; She is called "Queen Blaze the Cat" on the official Sega of America Sonic mini site, Sonic Central, as well as the former Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) game website. However, in Japanese, her title is 皇女 (Kōjo?), which translates as "imperial princess," (she is also called princess in Sonic Rush Adventure). * Like Sonic's specialty in breakdancing, Blaze seems to be able to dance Ballet as she is seen spinning on the tip of her toes before striking a victory pose. So far these are the only two characters that are shown to dance. * In the English version of Sonic Rush, Blaze is voiced by Bella Hudson. Bella Hudson was mistakenly referred to as Berra Hudson when credited as Blaze in Sonic Rush, due to 'L' sounds in Japanese being replaced with 'R' when writing names. * According to Sonic Channel, when asked about her weight, Blaze would respond "Don't speak of such a thing." unlike the other female characters which simply says 'Secret'. * Burning Blaze is sometimes mistakenly referred to as "Super Blaze", which is more in line with other super transformations, such as Super Sonic and Super Shadow. * Blaze is the only female character in all portrayals of Sonic the Hedgehog to have a transformation similar to a Super State so far. * Blaze is the first character with a "super" form that doesn't require Chaos Energy, using Sol energy instead. * In the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Sonic Unleashed, if one were to look at the loading screen for Empire City's Skyscraper Scamper stage, one could see "Blaze Rd." * Oddly, despite wearing high-heeled shoes, Blaze is the fastest female character in the Sonic series. She also has the advantage in reaching higher ground, thus helping her to move ahead of others. * In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, Blaze is an all-around character, and Daisy is a speed character. Since Blaze is very fast, it could have more suitably been the other way around. It is possible that Sega or Nintendo wanted the Mario & Sonic characters to be equal in their sections (each category has two Mario characters and two Sonic characters). * If Blaze is tapped in the bottom screen with the stylus during gameplay in Sonic Rush, she jumps like a frightened cat, then she turns at the player angrily and stomps on the ground before turning her back and tapping her foot. When tapped on the touch screen in Sonic Rush Adventure, Blaze hovers in the air. * In Sonic Rush Adventure, Blaze might know more than one language other than English, as she was able to read a book filled with ancient text found in Sky Babylon. * Like Hyper Sonic, Blaze leaves after-images behind her in Sonic Rush series. * Blaze is the second feline character introduced in the series in regards to the games. The first is Big the Cat. ** However if one were include Honey the Cat, who was a scrapped character since Sonic the Fighters at the time, it would make Blaze the third feline in the games. * Ironically, despite being a cat and also being very acrobatic, she has a fear of heights. Cats generally prefer to stay on high-up places and cats almost always safely land on their feet. * Even though characters such as Metal Sonic and Shadow the Hedgehog have the ability to boost, Blaze is the only character aside from Sonic who has been able to boost at the control of the player. * Prior to the release of the 2006 video game Sonic the Hedgehog, an internal document used by Sega was leaked which contained the entire game script as well as extended profiles for the major character. In the Character Introductions section, it is stated for Blaze that "she is bothered by underendowed chest (comments on which will rouse her anger)". It is unknown if this is true to her actual depiction or if this was a joke by one of the writers. * Blaze is one of the few characters known to have a family. 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